Russia's state-controlled United Ship-Building Corporation (USBC) has disclosed some specifications of a new-generation aircraft carrier currently being developed for the country's Navy.

Unlike Soviet-era aircraft cruisers of the Kiev class, the nuclear-powered ship with a displacement of 60,000 metric tons will not carry any cruise missiles.

Analysts have speculated that the new aircraft carrier's design would be based on that of the Admiral Kuznetsov and Ulyanovsk, the last Soviet-era carrier, or even a new 40,000-ton aircraft carrier ordered by the Indian Navy and being co-designed by Russian specialists. The latter's keel was laid on February 28, 2009.

It appears that the new warship will closely resemble advanced NATO carriers also displacing 60,000 metric tons. This revelation has been indirectly confirmed by media reports about the interest of Russia's top naval brass in the projects of France's Thales, a leading developer of advanced CVF carriers for the British Royal Navy and PA-2 carriers for the French Navy.

Her dimensions will match those of the PA-2 with a standard displacement of 59,000 metric tons, while her full displacement will total 75,000 metric tons. Unlike the French carrier, which will have a gas-turbine propulsion unit, the Russian ship will be powered by a nuclear reactor and will have a different air wing.

The carrier's air wing has received most of the attention. At present, Russia has two types of carrier-borne fighters, namely, the Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D and the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29K Fulcrum-D.

Su-33 planes based on the Admiral Kuznetsov are gradually becoming obsolete. Consequently, it would be inappropriate to resume production of these aircraft for the advanced carrier.

Russia has now begun manufacturing MiG-29K fighters for India's Vikramaditya carrier, a revamped version of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft cruiser. This warplane is more advanced than its predecessor, the basic MiG-29 version which entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983.

Although batch production of MiG-29K fighters can begin in the next 12 to 24 months, they cannot be called ideal carrier-borne fighters that must be big and heavy enough for full-fledged strike missions.